1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to automatic vending systems and, more particularly, to a refrigerated vending system for flower and plant arrangements.
Automated vending systems for floral arrangements are well known to those skilled in the art. Such floral vending systems typically include a plurality of floral product containing cubicles including an access door which is operatively associated with each cubicle. An electronically controlled locking apparatus is utilized with each door being connected to a validating device for accepting and counting the money inserted for purchase of a floral item. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,311,227 to Watkins discloses such an automated floral vending system.
To the present date such floral vending systems have been limited to the display of a single floral arrangement within each cubicle thereby providing a limited selection to the consumer. Further, the operators of such a floral vending system have incurred substantial maintenance costs in that the vending system must be serviced on at least a daily basis or on a more frequent schedule if the system is operable 24 hours a day.
In addition, prior art systems must be refilled after floral arrangements have been sold on an arbitrary time schedule without knowing how many cubicles need refilling after a sale is made.
Thus, the present invention has been developed to provide an improved floral and plant vending system which is capable of displaying an increased number of floral arrangements for sale within each cubicle and which includes a certified credit card terminal connected to the credit card processing network and an on-line auditing capability that permits monitoring of inventory status from a remote computer.
2. Description of Related Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,311,227 to Kenneth M. Watkins discloses a vending system for floral arrangements including a plurality of floral product containing cubicles each of which includes an access door operatively associated with each cubicle. An electronically controlled locking system is utilized with each access door being operatively connected to a currency validator accepting and totaling the money inserted to purchase a floral arrangement.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,800,988 to Ross L. Timms discloses a coin and key controlled vending apparatus for dispensing merchandise to the public comprising a plurality of lockers with access doors, a controllable locking means, a validator for accepting and totaling coins inserted into machine, a plurality of selector means, and a plurality of adjustable control means for setting prices for the merchandise which are inaccessible to the customer. However, the Timms patent does not disclose a rotating carousel mechanism for the display of merchandise, a means for the circulation of refrigerated air between compartments, a means in the money validator for receiving and accumulating paper currency, a means for transacting credit card purchases, or means for on-line monitoring of the vending machine to determine when a locker has been emptied due to a customer transaction.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,435,441 to Julius Zsoldos discloses a vending machine for dispensing of food in automatic restaurants including a plurality of compartments provided with both front and rear closures, a locking mechanism associated with a front closure and electromagnetic means controlled by the operation of the rear closure for closing and locking the front closure. However, the Zsoldos patent does not disclose a rotating carousel display mechanism, a means for transacting credit card purchases, or a means for permitting on-line monitoring of the vending machine to determine when a compartment has been emptied.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,617,267 to Virgil P. Long discloses a circular frozen food locker including a rotatably mounted locker assembly adapted to serve a large number of patrons storing frozen foodstuffs. The individual locker storage spaces are wedge-shaped and are stacked on a turntable in a number of horizontal tiers to provide a corresponding group of vertical rows. Thus, access may be had to each individual locker space by rotating the turntable and opening the appropriate door. However, the Long, et al. patent is not adapted for the commercial sale of merchandise and, thus, includes no money validator or means for transacting credit card purchases, nor does it include a system for on-line monitoring of storage lockers which have been emptied.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,701,746 to Morley W. Piggott discloses a self-service cold storage locker including a rotatable shelving unit having a generally upright cylindrical outline with a plurality of storage compartments. The rotatable shelving unit is mounted on rollers which are set on circular tracks to permit the rotation of individual storage compartments into alignment with an access door unlocking only the door corresponding to the selected freezer compartment. However, the Piggott patent does not include a money validator or means for transacting credit card purchases, nor does it include a system for on-line monitoring of individual storage compartments to determine if a compartment has been emptied.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,808,918 to Francis H. Shepard, Jr. et al. discloses a locker battery merchandising machine including an array of lockers controlled and operated by a coin-controlled mechanism for dispensing, merchandising or vending articles to be placed in the lockers. However, this patent does not disclose a refrigerated air circulation system, a means for accumulating paper currency, a means for transacting credit card purchases, or an on-line monitoring system.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,811,403 to Jack H. Barker et al. discloses a vending machine adapted for dispensing bulky articles having fragile containers such as beverages in paper cartons and having a rotatable carriage for supporting such articles in alignment with an access opening whereby the registering article can be readily removed. This machine is coin operated and has no means for validating paper currency or transacting credit card purchases. Further, this machine has no means for on-line monitoring of individual compartments to determine when a sale has been made and such compartment is empty.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,865,698 to John D. Smith discloses a coin controlled vending machine comprising a plurality of compartments with access doors, controllable locking means released by solenoids, a validator means for accepting and totaling coins inserted into the machine, a plurality of selector means, and a plurality of adjustable control means inaccessible to the customer for setting prices. However, the Smith patent does not disclose a means for providing refrigerated air circulation between compartments, a rotating carousel device for the display of articles, a money validator capable of accumulating paper currency, a means for transacting credit card purchases, or an on-line auditing system in the manner of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,791,505 to Darla R. Mandell discloses a modular solid state system for operating vending machines. Basically, this apparatus includes a currency deposit, currency evaluator, a solid state accumulator to keep track of the currency deposit, an enable means, a solid state release control means, and a servomotor release means to release a vended item. However, the Mandell patent does not disclose a means for transacting credit card purchases or an on-line auditing system in the manner of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,796,294 to Arthur Hoffer et al. discloses a vending machine door lock and vended item carrier motion control having a number of levels of carriers for items to be vended. The carriers on each level are all moved along a predetermined pathway thereby delivering the carriers in sequence to an access door at each level. Each door is blocked closed by a solenoid controlled door blocking abutment in circuit with a proper deposited coinage activated switch associated with each level. However, the Hoffer patent does not disclose a money validator capable of accumulating paper currency, an on-line auditing system for determining when an item has been vended, and other features of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,795 to Hitomi Urano discloses a vending machine for selling hot foods which includes a cold storage and a heating chamber. The cold storage comprises a number of vertical containers having two or more channels for storing food products of the same or different kinds, a feed arrangement being provided for providing food products from the respective channels to the heating chamber under the control of a coin operated device. However, the Urano patent does not disclose a rotating carousel device for the display of vended items, a money validator capable of accumulating paper currency and transacting credit card purchases, or an on-line auditing system in the manner of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,875,878 to Fairfield W. Hoban discloses a coin-controlled vending machine having a plurality vending compartments arranged on article conveyors arranged in superimposed tiers accessible by normally closed sliding doors which facilitate the removal of an article carried by its conveyor. All of the doors are provided with electrically interconnected control means arranged such that when one of the doors opened all of the other doors are prevented from opening and wherein the operation of all of the doors is controlled by a single coin receiver for the entire machine. However, the Hoban patent does not disclose a money validator capable of accumulating paper currency, a means for transacting credit card purchases, an on-line monitoring system, and other features of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,170,554 to Lill Davis discloses a coin-operated service buffet counter which includes service sections and delivery sections provided for the handling of hot and refrigerated foods and wherein each article of food as dispensed is recorded in accordance with coins deposited for operation of that section to provide an accurate record of each class of food dispensed. However, the Davis patent does not disclose a money validator capable of accumulating paper currency, a means for transacting credit card purchases, an on-line monitoring system to determine the status of individual sections, and other features of the present invention.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,443,675 to Mititaka Yamamoto et al. is considered of general interest in that it discloses an automatic credit loan machine operable in response to a credit card introduced therein to dispense a predetermined loan of cash including a means for testing the genuineness of a credit card, means operable in response to the testing means for reading the identification number of the credit card, means for recording the identification number, means for storing genuine cards that have been introduced into the machine, and means for dispensing predetermined loan of cash.